Method of making ice removing jackets



Aug. 5, 1941. R. s. COLLEY METHOD OF MAKING ICE REMOVING JACKETS Filed Aug. 2, 1940 Patented Aug. 5, 1941 METHOD OF MAKING ICE REMOVING JACKETS Russell S. Colley, Kent, Ohio, assignor to The B. F. Goodrich Company, New York, N. Y., a

corporation of New York Application August 2, 1940, Serial No. 350,037

2 Claims. (01. 1 847.5)

This invention relates to apparatus for preventing the accumulation of ice upon loop aerials of aircraft and other structures, including radio masts, Pitot tubes, etc., and the invention relates especially to the procedure of making protective jackets such as are disclosed and claimed in my co-pending application Serial No. 285,297, filed July 19, 1939.

For a loop aerial the general shape of the jacket is that of a hollow torus having a streamlined cross-section. It is desired that it be removably mounted in enclosing relation upon the loop aerial. This requirement together with the functional requirements of the jacket in operation impose problems in the procedure of making The chief objects of this invention are to provide for conveniently manufacturing the jacket referred to, to provide effectively for removability of the jacket from the loop aerial, and to provide effectively for inflation and defiation of the jacket.

These and further objects will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a cross-section of a building form with an ice-removing jacket assembled thereon according to one stage of the procedure.

Fig. 2 is a cross-section of an expansible core with the jacket mounted thereon in accordance with a further stage in the procedure.

Fig. 3 is a view like Fig. 2, but showing the assembly in a mold.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the completed article mounted upon a loop aerial.

Fig. 5 is a view in cross-section and perspective of a mold in which a jacket for an article such as a radio mast, strut, or Pitot tube is being molded.

The invention is illustrated and described in Figs. 1 to 4 with reference especially. to an iceremoving jacket for loop aerials, but it will be understood that features of the application are applicable also to the manufacture of ice-removing jackets for other articles and structures, including radio masts, struts, and Pitot tubes.

In accordance with the invention I provide, in the case of the ice-removing jacket for loop aerials, a building form [0 toroidal in shape but having streamlined cross-section as shown in Fig. 1. A jacket ll of elastic rubber material having an expansible section I2 is then assembled upon the form and a slide or other separable fastener 13 is also assembled with the jacket upon the form. This slide fastener permits removal of the jacket from the form and permits mounting it upon another form despite its continuously annular nature, and the slide fastener serves in the final article for detachably mounting the jacket upon the loop aerial. Preferably a flap I4 of rubber is provided in overlapping relation with the slide fastener l3 for the sake pf giving a smooth outer surface. The slide fastener l3 preferably extends throughout the entire periphery of the torus as shown in Fig. 4.

It is desirable to provide the outer face of the jacket H with a smooth mold finished surface, and to vulcanize the jacket under pressure so as to obtain a homogeneous wall structure.

To this end the jacket when assembled upon the form of Fig. 1 is removed therefrom by unfastening the slide fastener l3, and the jacket is mounted upon a second form l5 which is inflatable and preferably of sufficient stilfness in its uninfiated condition to receive the jacket and hold the same approximately to the form as shown in Fig. 2. For the vulcanizing step the flap l4 preferably has an adhesion preventing substance such as soapstone, talc or other suitable material in powdered form, or sheet material that does not adhere to rubber, applied between it and the slide fastener l3 so that this flap will remain unattached. In the final article the flap l4 may be cemented in place so as not to vibrate in the airflow, but at the same time to be detachable.

The assembly of Fig. 2 is placed within a mold which may comprise two parts 16 and I! as shown in Fig. 3 having a cavity of the shape shown. This cavity preferably has polished mold walls such as to impart a very smooth I surface to the molded article. As shown in Fig. 3 pressure fluid may be introduced into the core I5 by means of a connection I8 through the mold wall in communication with the core I5.

When the core and jacket have been vulcanized in the mold while the core has been subjected to internal fluid pressure, the slide fastener [3 may be loosened so as to permit removal of the inflatable core 15 whereupon the jacket is adaptable to be mounted upon a loop serial as shown in Fig. 4.

In Fig. 5 the cross-sectional construction of the inflatable core 20 and the jacket 2| itself may be the same as that described for Fig. 3, this construction difiering only in that the article may be straight and not endless, as shown, in order that the article may be adapted to nontoroidal articles, such, for example, as radiomasts, struts, etc., the mold as shown being in sections 22 and 23.

Variations may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

I claim:

1. The method of making an inflatable icercmoving jacket for mounting upon an element, which method comprises the steps of assembling elastic rubber material upon a form entirely about the same, building into such jacket a separable fastener extending along the same, by means of such fastener separating the wall of the jacket to remove it from the form, mounting the same upon a distensible core and closing the separable fastener, mold vulcanizing the jacket while it is pressed against the mold face by said distensible core, removing the assembly from the mold, separating said fastener and removing the core therefrom, and mounting the jacket upon an element entirely about the element by the use of said fastener.

2. The method of making an inflatable iceremoving jacket for mounting upon a toroidal element, which method comprises the steps of assembling elastic rubber material upon a continuously annular toroidal form entirely about the same, building into such jacket a separable fastener extending along the same, by means of such fastener separating the wall of the jacket to remove it from the form, mounting the same uptn a distensible toroidal core and closing the separable fastener, mold vulcanizing the jacket while it is pressed against the mold face by said distensible core, removing the assembly from the mold, separating said fastener and removing the core therefrom, and mounting the jacket upon an element entirely about the element by the use of said fastener.

RUSSELL S. COLLEY. 

